2021-02-22
The Victorian Greens have said the Andrews Labor Government's decision to establish a royal commission after years of leniency and inaction is an admission that its own regulator has completely failed.
Despite damning media reports and years of questioning by the Greens, it has taken a NSW inquiry to finally spur the government to act.
Leader of the Victorian Greens, Samantha Ratnam, said it was good to see the government finally taking Crown’s dodgy behaviour seriously after brushing it off for far too long.
She added that it had been clear Crown was no longer fit to hold a licence yet significant donations by Crown to both the Labor and Liberal parties had delayed any action.
The government’s decision to call for a royal commission has vindicated what the Greens have been saying for years: that the VCGLR and the system of casino regulation in Victoria has utterly failed.
The writing has been on the wall for some time now and the Greens expect the upcoming royal commission to reach the same finding as the NSW inquiry: that Crown is no longer fit to hold a licence.
The Greens have called on the government to strip Crown of its licence while the royal commission is underway.
Quotes attributable to Leader of the Victorian Greens, Samantha Ratnam MLC:
"The Andrews Labor Government has run a protection racket for Crown for too long by turning a blind eye to years of allegations of money laundering and improper conduct.
"The announcement of this royal commission has highlighted the utter failure of our regulator and the need for an independent body to oversee the gaming industry.
"We hope this investigation spells the end for Crown - Daniel Andrews may have a cosy relationship with the gambling industry but that shouldn’t give Crown a pass to play by a different set of rules.
"Crown should not be trusted until the Royal Commission is over. At the very least, the government must strip Crown of its licence while the investigation is underway."